Why Assimilation Leads to Anti-Semitism: A Spiritual Analysis

Introduction:

In
the previous letter,
The Failure of “Zionism”
to Eliminate
Anti-Semitism, I
cited historical data
which makes us aware
that the attempt by many
Jews to assimilate among
the nations in the hope
of eliminating
anti-Semitism actually
led to increased
anti-Semitism. As Dr.
Arthur Hertzberg wrote,
there were Jews in
Europe who initially
tried to solve the
problem of anti-Semitism
by “completely
refashioning themselves
in the image of proper
westerners” (The Zionist
Idea). I also discussed
how Theodor Herzl and
some other leaders of
the World Zionist
Organization thought of
the following “national”
version of assimilation
– one which they
believed would quickly
solve the problem of
anti- Semitism:

The entire Jewish nation
will refashion itself as
a proper western nation
in its own land and
thereby win the
friendship and respect
of the other nations.

The
more recent data that I
cited makes us aware of
the following reality:
The establishment of the
westernized State of
Israel failed to
eliminate anti-Semitism;
moreover, the
establishment of this
state actually became a
catalyst for a new wave
of anti-Semitism which
is spreading across the
world.

Those
Jews who hoped that
assimilation – whether
of the individual or
national variety – would
eliminate anti-Semitism
thought that their hope
had a rational basis.
After all, when a
minority group begins to
assimilate among the
majority group, it
usually lessens negative
feelings towards the
minority group. Why,
then, did this strategy
ultimately fail when it
was applied to our
people? In this letter,
I will begin to discuss
the teachings of our
prophets and sages which
can answer this
question, as these
teachings reveal the
spiritual and cosmic
reasons why Jewish
attempts to assimilate –
either as individuals or
as a nation – eventually
lead to increased
anti-Semitism.

Dear
Friends,

The
Torah reveals that our
existence as a separate
people within our own
land has a universal
goal, and the Prophets
of Israel elaborate on
this idea. One of the
beautiful references to
this universal goal is
found in the following
Divine message which the
Prophet Isaiah conveyed
to our people:

“Thus
said the God, Hashem,
Who created the heavens
and stretched them
forth; Who firmed the
earth and its produce,
Who gave a soul to the
people upon it, and a
spirit to those who walk
on it. I am Hashem; I
have called you on
behalf of righteousness;
I will strengthen your
hand, and I will
preserve you; I will set
you as a covenant for
the people, as a light
for the nations.”
(Isaiah 42:5,6)

“I
will set you as a
covenant for the people”
– for the existence of
the earth’s peoples, as
the Hebrew word for
“covenant” – bris –
is an expression of
existence (commentary of
Radak).

Radak
explains that we will
achieve the universal
goal of becoming a
covenant for the
existence of the
peoples, as well as
becoming a light for the
nations, when we will
experience the
fulfillment of the
prophecy that “Torah
will go forth from Zion”
(Isaiah 2:3), for the
nations will then “beat
their swords into
plowshares” (Isaiah
2:4). In addition, says
Radak, Israel will
inspire the nations to
fulfill the universal
life-giving path within
the Torah which applies
to all humankind, which
is why the nations will
say, “Come, let us go up
to the Mountain of
Hashem, to the Temple of
the God of Jacob, and He
will teach us of His
ways and we will walk in
His paths” (Isaiah 2:3).

The
above Divine promise
regarding the universal
goal of our history is
actually an elaboration
of the early Divine
promises that we are to
become a source of
blessing for all the
families of the earth.
For example, Hashem told
Jacob, our father:

“All
the families of the
earth will be blessed
through you and your
offspring” (Genesis
28:14).

If
our people exist for the
benefit of the world,
then the disappearance
of our people through
destruction or
assimilation would be a
loss to the world. This
is a reason why just
before Hashem told us,
“I will set you as a
covenant for the people,
as a light for the
nations,” He said, “I
will preserve you” – a
promise that despite our
tribulations and falls,
He will not allow our
people to disappear from
the earth through total
destruction or total
assimilation, for we
exist for the sake of
the world. In this
universal spirit, we
will discuss prophecies
and teachings which
reveal that the Guardian
of Israel will intervene
in order to prevent our
people from disappearing
through assimilation
among the nations, and
we will begin with an
example from the story
of our exile in Egypt:

Our
father, Jacob, was given
the additional name,
“Israel” (Genesis
35:10); thus, his
descendants became known
as the Children of
Israel. When Israel and
his family descended
into Egypt, they were
given the region of
Goshen as their separate
area of settlement
(Genesis 45:10). Egypt
was a decadent,
oppressive society that
worshiped the gods of
power, lust, and wealth;
however, in Goshen, the
Children of Israel were
to maintain their
separate identity and
fulfill their Divine
mandate “to keep the way
of Hashem, sharing their
resources with the
needy, and doing
justice” (Genesis
18:19).

As
the years went by, many
of the Children of
Israel became attracted
to the pagan culture of
the Egyptians. They
began to wander all over
Egypt, and the Torah
records, “and the land
became full of them”
(Exodus 1:7). The Torah
then describes how the
Children of Israel
became enslaved.

The
Midrash Rabbah (1:8)
explains that before
they became enslaved,
they said to one
another, “Let us be like
the Egyptians!” The
Midrash notes that the
desire to be like the
Egyptians caused them to
neglect the mitzvah of
circumcision. As a
result of this trend
towards assimilation,
states the Midrash, the
Holy One transformed the
love that the Egyptians
originally had for the
Children of Israel into
a hatred of the Children
of Israel. The Midrash
mentions that a source
for this explanation can
be found in the
following passage from
Psalm 105:

“Then
Israel came to Egypt and
Jacob sojourned in the
land of Ham...He turned
their hearts to hate His
nation, to plot against
His servants” (Psalm
105: 23,25).

Rabbi
Yosef Dov Soloveitchik
was a leading sage of
the late 19th
century, and he
discusses the above
verse from Psalm 105 in
his commentary on the
opening section of the
Book of Exodus (Beis
Halevi, Parshas Shmos).
He explains that since
the Children of Israel
were beginning to
assimilate among the
Egyptians, Hashem caused
the hearts of the
Egyptians to hate the
Children of Israel, in
order to preserve
Israel’s separate
identity. He points out
that whenever we try to
assimilate among the
nations, Hashem will
intervene to preserve
our separate identity by
arousing hatred against
us.

This
Divine intervention to
preserve our identity is
not just for our sake;
it is also for the sake
of the world, as our
nation is to bring life
to the world through
fulfilling the Divine
Teaching and thereby
become a light to the
nations. The
preservation of our
identity will therefore
lead to the fulfillment
of the following
prophecy regarding our
role in Zion at the dawn
of the messianic age:

“Arise! Shine! For your
light has arrived, and
the glory of Hashem has
shined upon you. For,
behold! Darkness shall
cover the earth and a
dense cloud the
kingdoms; but upon you,
Hashem will shine, and
His glory shall be seen
upon you. Nations will
go by your light, and
sovereigns by the glow
of your dawn.” (Isaiah
60:1-3)

Have
a Good and Sweet
Shabbos,

Yosef
Ben Shlomo Hakohen (See
below)

Related Teachings:

1.
After mentioning that
the Children of Israel
in Egypt increased in
number and became
strong, the Torah adds,
“and the land became
full of them” (Exodus
1:7). According to the
commentary of the Netziv,
a leading sage of the
late 19th
century, this statement
indicates that the
Children of Israel began
to settle all over Egypt
and live among the
Egyptians (He’emak
Davar). The Netziv
states that this
development was a
contradiction of the
will of their father,
Jacob, who desired that
they live as a separate
community in the region
of Goshen, so that they
could maintain their own
identity and spiritual
path. Through living
among the Egyptians, the
Children of Israel
desired to be more like
them, explains the
Netziv, which is why
they decided to neglect
the mitzvah of
circumcision; thus,
Hashem caused the
Egyptians to begin to
hate the Children of
Israel.

2.
Regarding the unique
role of the Tribe of
Levi during the period
when the People of
Israel were in Egypt,
the Midrash states:

“Even
though the People of
Israel served idols in
Egypt, the Tribe of Levi
served the Holy One,
Blessed be He; moreover,
they circumcised
themselves. Moses
therefore praised them
before he died, as it is
said (in the blessing of
Moses to the Tribe of
Levi): ‘For they have
observed Your word and
Your covenant they
preserved’ (Deuteronomy
33:9).”

The
Tribe of Levi did not
engage in the process of
assimilation; thus, they
maintained their
spiritual identity and
strength. It is
therefore relevant to
mention that Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam – the
three main spiritual
leaders of the Children
of Israel during the
Exodus – were from the
Tribe of Levi. These
three spiritual leaders
were the children of
Amram and Yocheved, who
were from the Tribe of
Levi (Exodus 2:1,2 and
6:16-20).

In a
later prophecy which
mentions Moses, Aaron,
and Miriam, the Prophet
Micah conveyed to our
people the following
Divine message regarding
the role of these three
leaders from the Tribe
of Levi:

“For
I have brought you up
from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you from
the house of bondage;
and I sent Moses, Aaron,
and Miriam before you.”
(Micah 6:4)

The
commentator, Radak,
explains that when the
People of Israel were
still enslaved in Egypt,
Hashem sent them three
prophets, Moses, Aaron,
and Miriam, to inform
them about the
approaching redemption.
The commentator, Malbim,
mentions that these
three leaders taught the
people about the good
path – Moses, as the
teacher of the men,
Miriam, as the teacher
of the women, and Aaron
as the Kohen of Hashem.

The
above teaching can
therefore remind us that
the true leaders of our
people are those who
enable us to preserve
our spiritual identity
and thereby fulfill our
spiritual mission.

3.
The Midrash Tanchuma (Shmos
3) teaches that the root
meanings of the names of
the Twelve Tribes of
Israel allude to various
stages of Israel’s
future redemption, and
the Midrash cites
various biblical verses
as examples. Regarding
the Tribe of Levi –
whose name means “joined
together” – the Midrash
cites the following
verse which conveys a
redemptive Divine
promise to the People of
Zion which will be
fulfilled at the dawn of
the messianic age:

“Many
nations shall join
themselves to Hashem
on that day, and they
will become a people
unto Me; and I will
dwell in your midst.”
(Zechariah 2:15)

What
is the connection
between the Tribe of
Levi and the fulfillment
of the messianic vision
of nations joining
themselves to Hashem? I
believe that the
beginning of the answer
can be found in the
following blessing that
Moses gave to the Tribe
of Levi before our
people crossed the
Jordan River and entered
the Promised Land: